While the 1989 Michigan Wolverines National Championship team is remembered fondly, the U-M squads of the 1990s are more widely recognised.
Why? The five new stars at Crisler were full of confidence, panache, and competence. Much fanfare accompanied the Fab Five’s arrival at Ann Arbor. This bunch of players came through, guiding Michigan to back-to-back trips to the national championship game, and they are strongly represented on this All-Decade squad.
Preceding the 1980s was the 1970s (Phil Hubbard) and the 1960s (Glen Rice) (Cazzie Russell).
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H. Juwan Howard (1991-1994)
The current head coach at Michigan was the pioneer of the legendary recruiting class of 1991, hence he will be mentioned first.
With Howard’s assistance, the 1992 Wolverines team won the NCAA championship (they lost to Duke). They went 31-5 his sophomore year, losing in the national championship game to North Carolina. As a junior, the 6-foot-9 forward carried more of the load, averaging 20.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game before making the jump to the pros. In his career, he scored more than 1,500 points and grabbed more than 700 rebounds, making him one of only seven players to accomplish both feats in the history of the programme.
Webber, Chris (1991-1993)
Webber amassed an impressive 37 double-doubles in just two seasons. He was a first team All-American as a sophomore after averaging 17.4 points and 10.2 rebounds for Michigan. The 6’9″ forward also has a remarkable rate of blocks, thefts, and assists.
Webber was a dynamic player who was selected first overall in the 1993 NBA draught. However, he is also associated with two low points in Michigan basketball history: the timeout he called when the Wolverines didn’t have one against North Carolina and the sanctions imposed on the team after it was discovered that Webber had accepted money from a booster.
Rose Jalen (1991-1994)
Rose, the shortest of the Fab Five at just 6 feet tall, ranks in the top 10 in programme history in both points and assists. He was second team All-American thanks to his 19.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg, and 3.9 apg junior year.
In honour of Louis Bullock (1995-1999)
The Michigan record books are littered with Bullock’s name, including the top spot on the all-time 3-pointers list. The 6-foot-2 guard finished his final season averaging 20.7 points per game, good enough for third all-time in programme history.
In 1997, he was a key cog in Michigan’s run to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament, the second of his four years with the team.
Rober Traylor (1995-1998)
Robert “Tractor” Traylor joined Bullock at Michigan, but he transferred out after only three years. As a junior, the 6’8″, 284-pound centre averaged 16.2 points and 10 rebounds. He had an excellent field goal percentage and blocked a lot of shots.
Involved in the Ed Martin scandal just like Webber and Bullock, Traylor. Traylor, who was 34 when he died in 2011, passed away from a heart attack.
A special mention goes out to Jimmy King (1991–1995), Ray Jackson (1991–1995), and Maurice Taylor (1991–1995). (1994-97)
Last Words
Steve Fisher, the man responsible for assembling Michigan’s legendary Fab Five, was the team’s head coach for the first seven years of the decade before being succeeded by Brian Ellerbe.
